UK Driving Test Eyesight Test 2026: Read a Number Plate at 20 Metres

#How the eyesight check actually works

The examiner meets you at the test centre reception, walks you outside, and points at a parked car. They ask you to read the number plate aloud. The distance is 20 metres for new-style plates (issued from September 2001 onwards, the ones with the EU-format margin) or 20.5 metres for older plates. The examiner has measured the standard distance from a fixed marker in the car park, so the exact spot you stand is not subject to interpretation.

Read the plate correctly on the first attempt and the eyesight portion is complete. The examiner walks you back to the car and the test proper begins. If you read the plate wrong on the first attempt, the examiner gives you a second go on the same plate. If you read it wrong again, they choose a different plate (often a different parked car) and measure the precise 20 metre distance with a tape. Three wrong reads in total end the test.

#What counts as reading the plate correctly

You must read every character of the plate aloud, in order. Letters and numbers. Reading "Alpha Bravo Twelve thirty-four Charlie Delta" is fine as long as the characters are correct. Reading "A B One Two Three Four" instead of "A B One Two Thirty-Four" can be interpreted either way depending on the plate format, so most learners read each character individually rather than grouping numbers. The examiner does not penalise pronunciation, only character correctness.

Reading a single character wrong fails the attempt. A two-character mistake on the same plate is still one failed attempt, not two. The structure is per-attempt rather than per-character. Three failed attempts end the test, but a one-character slip on the first attempt is recoverable on the second.

#Glasses, contact lenses, and corrected vision

You can wear glasses or contact lenses for the eyesight check and for the full duration of the test. If you do, the examiner notes this on your record, and your eventual full licence will carry a code 01 restriction. The code means you must wear corrective lenses (glasses or contacts, your choice) any time you drive, anywhere in the UK. Driving without the corrective lenses you used during the test is the same offence as driving without a valid licence.

You cannot pass the eyesight check unaided and then drive on the road later with glasses. The licence restriction reflects the conditions you tested under. Equally, if you wear glasses normally but want to take the test without them, that is allowed provided you can read the plate. The examiner does not require you to wear them, they only record whether you did. Most learners with any prescription wear them for the test simply because the consequences of a misread are severe.

#What happens if you fail the eyesight check

Three failed attempts at the plate end the test immediately. The examiner walks you back to the centre. You lose the £62 test fee. The test is recorded as a fail, but it is recorded as a fail for eyesight specifically rather than as a fail on driving faults. The marking sheet does not include any of the usual fault categories because the test never started.

The DVSA automatically notifies the DVLA when an eyesight check fails. The DVLA may suspend or revoke your provisional licence pending medical evidence that you meet the legal vision standard. To get the licence reinstated, you typically need an optician's report confirming your corrected vision meets the 6/12 Snellen standard and that your field of vision is adequate. This usually means a full eye test (typically £25 to £30 at a high-street optician, free for over-60s and some others), a corrective prescription if needed, and a written report submitted via the DVLA forms process.

#The wider DVLA vision standards

The number plate test is only the first of three legal vision standards for driving in Britain. The DVLA requires drivers to meet all three, but only the plate test is checked at the practical exam. The other two are the responsibility of the driver to confirm via their optician.

The first additional standard is visual acuity. With glasses or contacts if worn, your eyesight must be at least 6/12 on the Snellen scale (the standard eye-chart letter sizes you read at an optician). This is the corrected acuity test, so wearing your prescription glasses is fine. Most learners who can pass the plate test comfortably also pass 6/12 acuity, but the standards are technically separate.

The second additional standard is field of vision. You must have an adequate field of vision in both eyes (or in the one eye, if you have monocular vision). The legal minimum is 120 degrees horizontal field with no significant defect in the central 20 degrees. This is tested by an optician using a visual field analyser. Glaucoma, certain retinal conditions, and some stroke effects can narrow the field below the legal standard and require declaration to DVLA.

#When you must disclose vision issues to DVLA

Failing to declare a notifiable vision condition to DVLA is a criminal offence carrying a fine up to £1,000 and potential prosecution if an accident occurs. The duty to declare sits with the driver, not the optician, and it applies whether you currently hold a provisional licence, a full licence, or are between renewals.

• Monocular vision (sight in one eye only), permanent or temporary
• Diplopia (double vision) that cannot be controlled by glasses or contacts
• Glaucoma in both eyes, or glaucoma in one eye if it affects the field of vision
• Cataracts that cannot be corrected by glasses to the 6/12 standard
• Macular degeneration affecting central vision below the legal threshold
• Retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa, and several less-common retinal conditions
• Significant field-of-vision loss from any cause, including stroke and brain injury

The DVLA decides on a case-by-case basis whether to suspend, restrict, or maintain the licence. Most conditions on the list do not result in automatic suspension. The DVLA may require regular medical reports, place restrictions (e.g. corrective lenses code 01, automatic-only code 78, or restricted driving radius for specific medical conditions), or in severe cases revoke the licence. The decision is based on the specific clinical findings rather than the condition name.

#Borderline eyesight: how to prepare

If you can read a number plate at 20 metres in normal daylight without strain, you are comfortably within the standard. If you find yourself squinting in supermarket car parks, struggling to read road signs at distance, or having to lean forward to read shop names across the street, your distance vision may be borderline. Get an eye test before booking the practical test, not the day before.

Eye tests are free for under-16s, over-60s, full-time students under 19, anyone with diabetes or glaucoma, those at risk of glaucoma due to family history, and people on certain benefits in England, Scotland, and Wales. Standard fees at high-street opticians are £25 to £30 for a test that takes 30 minutes. The optician can prescribe corrective lenses on the spot if needed, with delivery typically one to two weeks for glasses or same-week for daily-disposable contacts.

#Common eyesight test mistakes

Most eyesight fails fall into three patterns. The first is the forgotten-glasses fail, where a learner with mild prescription thinks they can manage without and misreads the plate. The second is the squint-and-guess fail, where a learner who knows they cannot quite see the plate tries to guess the characters rather than tell the examiner they need their glasses. The third is the night-vision fail, where a learner who can pass in summer daylight booked a winter test in low light and could not read the plate in the dim car park.

All three are avoidable. The first by packing glasses every time. The second by being honest with the examiner, the test does not penalise asking for glasses, only misreading. The third by checking the test slot time of year and booking a slot that fits your night-vision profile if you have any concern about low-light reading.

#How the eyesight check fits with the rest of the test

The eyesight check is one of three opening checks at the start of the UK practical test, alongside the show me tell me vehicle safety questions and the document check (provisional licence plus theory pass certificate confirmation). The three opening checks together take 5 to 10 minutes before the engine starts. The full test then runs 40 minutes of driving with manoeuvres and independent driving sections.

The driving test eyesight check guide covers the historical context and additional detail on the Snellen acuity standard. The show me tell me questions 2026 guide covers the vehicle safety questions you face immediately after the eyesight check. The driving test documents needed guide covers what to bring on test day, including glasses if you wear them.

#Sources and further reading

The figures, fees, and procedures referenced in this article are verifiable on the official gov.uk pages below. PassRates.uk is built on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s open data, published under the Open Government Licence.

• Driving test (gov.uk)
• Driving test fees (gov.uk)
• If you fail your driving test (gov.uk)
• Find a driving test centre (gov.uk)
• Apply for your first provisional driving licence (gov.uk)
• Open Government Licence v3.0 (nationalarchives.gov.uk)